Reversing-valve for heating-furnaces.



C. W. LUMMIS.

REVERSING VALVE FOR HEATING FURNACES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1. 1914.

1,200,631. Patented Oct. 10,1916.

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APPLICATION FILED JUNE], 1914- Patented Oct 10, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- Rvenfozflffoz'neys UNITED STATES PATENT @FFTQE CHARLES W'. LUMMIS, F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO MORGAN CON- STRUCTION COMPANY, OF WORCESTER,

MASSACHUSETTS.

MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF REVERSING-VALVE FOR HEATING-FURNACES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 1, 1914. Serial No. 842,003.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. LUMMIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Reversing-Valves for Heating-Furnaces, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

The present invention relates to that type of reversing valves which are used in connection with regenerative and other heating furnaces for the purpose of effecting fre- 15. quent reversals in the direction of the air, gas and escaping products of combustion through the several fines or passages of the furnace. g

The particular object ofthe invention is to provide improved means for insuring a constant circulation of cooling water through the stationary base castings of such valves, and to utilize said fluid most conveniently in the maintenance of a water seal against the escape of gases from the valve.

Furthermore, it is sought to so dispose the water inlet with relation to the several fines of the furnace that the evaporation of the.

water is reduced to a minimum.

Other and further from the following description and the appended claims, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a reversing valve applied to a furnace having three flues. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the water cooled base casting for said valve. Fig.

3 is a plan view of a water cooled base casting for a valve adapted for a furnace having four flues. Fig. 4 is a plan View of a water cooled base casting for a valve adated for a furnace having two fines, and Fig.- 5 is a fragmentary vertical section on line 5- 5, Fig. 4.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the difl'erentfigures.

In Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown my improved water cooled construction applied to a reversing valve of the type shown in the United States Letters Patent to Jerome R.

George, No. 1,093,047, dated April 14, 1914,

wherein is disclosed the coterminous ends of three furnace lines to be controlled by said in devices of this type.

objects will appear 'tive circulation,

valve, and in the present construction I have indicated the upper ends of a gas and air Patented Oct. 10, 1916. r

fine 1, a regenerator flue 2 and a stack flue so 3, er itending through the brickwork of a 'heatlng furnace, and arranged in a circular ser1es.- A circular base casting, in the form of a three armed spider, having equidistant rad1al arms 4, 5 and 6, joined at their outer ends, 1s mounted on top of the brickwork, the spaces between said arms registering w1th the open upper ends of the furnace lines 1, 2 and 3. Suitably journaled on a trunnion 7 carried centrally of said spider, is the valve 8 which comprises a hood 9 seg mental in form and open at the bottom, to

communicate with the ends; of the furnace.

fiues. The hood-9 is of sufficient circumferentlal extent to connect any two adjacent furnace flues, in the various radial positions into which the valve is turned, as is usual The detailed construction of said valve forms no part ofthe present invention and accordingly no description thereof is deemed necessary.

The radial arms 4, 5 and 6 whichdefine the upper ends of the furnace flues are each in the form of open troughs connected at the center of the spider, to form water channels 10, 11 and 12, which communicate at their outer ends with a circular channel or trough 13 formed in the circular connecting portion of the spider. The valve 8 has a depending apron 14 adapted to extend below provide a water seal against the escape of gases from the flues of the furnace. he apron 14 is spaced from the bottom of trough 13 by lugs 14, carried in said trough.

v Itis desirable that the cooling and sealing water contained in the communicating troughs 10, 11, 12 and 13 be afforded a posi in order to clean the spider arms of dirt and soot deposited thereon. Furthermore, a constant changing of water in the said arms decreases the loss through evaporation, since at no portion is the water permitted to standlong enough to become highly heated. To this end, instead of introducing the water to the water seal trough outside of the depending apron '14 of the valve. as is the usualpractice, a

is led through the outer wall of trough l3, and under the edge of said apron, with its open end upturned as shown at 16 and disposed within the trough formed in one of the radial arms of the spider. When the valve is used to reverse the flow of gas in a furnace, the pipe 15 is led into the arm a, which is between the gas flue 1 and the regenerator flue 2. always led over The gases are thereby the arm containing the coldest water, so that the evaporation of the water is minimized. At a point diametrically opposite the water inlet pipe 15, the outer wall of the circular trough is slightly lowered for a short distance, as shown at 1'7, so that the water in said trough will overflow into a chamber 18 carried on the outside of said trough and having a discharge pipe 19 connected thereto. By the construction above described, a positive circulation of water through the arms 4:, 5 and 6 is insured, since fresh water must pass through said arms before flowing into the trough 13 to the overflow outlet.

In Fig. 3 I have illustrated my invention in its application to the stationary base casting of a valve for use in connection with a furnace having four lines, and in this instance. a stationary four arm spider is utilized, the spaces between the arms thereof registering with the upper ends of a gas flue 20, a diametrically opposite stack fine 21,

and a pair of intermedite regenerator fines 22 and 23, all substantially as shown and described inthe United States Letters Patent to J. A. Dyblie, No. 691,251, dated J an. 141, 1902. 'A water supply pipe 24 has a pair of branches 25, each of which is led through the outer wall of the circular trough of the casting and under the lower edge of the water seal apron in said trough, similarly to the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the ends of said branches terminating in the spider arms on each side of the gas flue opening 20 and between the latter and the two regenerator fines 22 and 23 respectively. The branches 25 are made symmetrical to insure an equal supply of water to the two arms, whereby the coolest water of the system is always present in the arm over which the gas flows, irrespective of the position of the valve. In this form of the invention a pair of overflow outlets, similar in all respects to the overflow outlet shown in Figs. 1 and 2, are provided in the outer wall of the circular trough at 26, 26, diametrically opposite the two inlets so that a thorough circulation of water through the spider arms is insured. 1 In Figs. at and 5 I have illustrated my invention in its application to the base casting of a valve of the type shown inthe United States Letters Patent to J. B. Mc- Kennan, No. 884,033, dated April '1, 1908. An annular water pan 27 having a single transverse diametrical trough 28 is provided, the pan 2? surrounding the extremities of a pair of vertical flue terminals 29 and 30 and the trough 28 forming an extension of the wall which separates said flues. The pan 27 cooperates with a depending apron 31 on the drum or valve to provide av water seal in the usual manner. A water supply pipe 32 is led through the outer wall of the pan, under the lower edge of said apron and is extended upwardly with its open end disposed within the trough 28. A circulation of cooling water through the trough 28 is thereby insured, before the water is permitted to overflow the edges of the pan into an annular outlet chamber 33 carried by said pan and having an outlet pipe 34: leading therefrom.

I claim,

1. The combination with coterminous gas and regenerator fines of a furnace, of a reversing valve therefor, cooled base casting cooperating with said valve providing a trough encircling the ends of said fines, and a plurality of radial arms, in communication with each other and with said trough, said arms coinciding with the partitions between said flues, said valve having an apron received within said trough and means for introducing the cooling water for said base casting into the arm between the gas and the reg'enerator fines and inwardly of said apron, whereby the gases are caused to pass over the coolest water in the system.

2. The combination with a series of coterminous furnace flues, of a valve for controlling the passage of gases therethrough, a stationary water cooled base casting cooperating with said valve, having an annular trough surrounding the ends of said fines and a plurality of communicating radial troughs defining the ends of said flues, the valve providing a depending portion disposed within said annular trough, and means for introducing the cooling water to said base casting directly into one of said arms and inwardly of said apron, whereby a positive circulation through said arms is maintained.

8. The combination with the gas and regenerator fines of a furnace, of a reversing valve therefor, a water cooled base casting for said valve having arms disposed between the ends of said fines, and means for insurq ing the delivery of water for said casting directly into the arm between said gas and said regenerator fines.

reversing valve for heating furnaces a depending apron, a base casting valve having a water trough into which said apron projects to form a water seal, and means for insuring the direct delivery of water to said base casting within the circumference of said apron.

a stationary water 5. The combination with a series of furnace fiues, of a reversing valve therefor, a-

Copies of this patent may be obtained for the gas and re- I having water seal means cooperating with said valve, and having a series of water cooled arms communicating with saidwater seal means and defining the ends of said fiues, and means for insuring the delivery of cooling water directly to the arms between adjacent gas and regenerator flues.

Dated this twenty-fifth day of May, 1914.

CHARLES W. LUMMIS.

Witnesses PENELOPE CoMBERBAcH, NELLIE WHALEN.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatents.

Washington, D. G." 

